LibGuides: Copyright for Authors & Creators: Creative Commons

What are the Creative Commons?

Creative Commons "helps you legally share your knowledge and creativity to build a more equitable, accessible, and innovative world."

These free licenses can work together with copyright to standardize giving public permission to use and share your work.

Creative Commons licenses can cover:

Visit the Copyright & Fair Use Guide to learn about searching for items on the Creative Commons.

You can use the Creative Commons license generator to find the correct license for your work.

CC BY	Allows the user to distribute, remix, and build upon (create derivatives). Commercial use is allowed. This is the most accommodating license.
CC BY-SA	Allows the user to distribute, remix, and build upon (create derivatives). Commercial use is allowed. This means any derivatives of your work carry the same license. This is the license used by Wikipedia.
CC BY-ND	Allows the user to distribute. Commercial use is allowed. There can be no derivatives made.
CC BY-NC	Allows the user to distribute, remix, and build upon (create derivatives). Commercial use is not allowed.
CC BY-NC-SA	Allows the user to distribute, remix, and build upon (create derivatives). Commercial use is not allowed. Derivatives of your work carry the same license.
CC BY-NC-ND	This is the most restrictive license. Allows the user to distribute. Commercial use is not allowed. There can be *no derivatives* made.